1994 by GEnie ========================================================================== This file is brought to you by The Commodore 64/128 RoundTable on GEnie This file may be published or excerpted in User Group newsletters providing credit is given in this manner: "Copyright 1994 by GEnie From the Commodore 64/128 RoundTable File#:#####" This file maybe be distributed, if distributed whole and unaltered, on non-profit BBSs or non-profit networks. For more information on GEnie call by modem: 1-800-638-8369 (8-N-1 300/1200/2400) Enter: HHH Then reply: xtx99018,commrt Then enter: Commodore And enjoy! ========================================================================== SHOWTIME Welcome to the GEOS DEN! ! ! Tonight's conference is hosted by Geos-Tim (Tim Hewelt), and transcripts will be edited by cbm-bandit(Cam Stewart). Tonight our special guest is programmer Maurice Randall. He has come up with another remarkable program that he would like to tell you about. Welcome Maurice Randall!!! Welcome everyone, I am introducing my next new product, "The Wave". This follows geoFAX, and is also telecommunications related. This first release will be for GEOS 128 in 80 column mode only. It is a high-speed terminal program. But more than that actually. It is actually several terminals all in one. I am designing it to be modular and able to have new features added when something new comes along. It is easy to upgrade by adding a module. It works just fine with any modem that can be connected to a SwiftLink. I have used it on a 2400 baud modem, a 14.4 modem, and a 28.8 modem. I am logged on in this conference right now with it at 9600. So, it is an actual working program at this point in time. It only needs some features added, and some polishing applied. As of right now, there is absolutely no bugs in the program. It works great with GEOS running at the same time. It is complete with the usual point and click icons and menus. It has a main lobby, so to speak, where you can go into any of the supported terminal modes. One unique feature is the way it handles it's capture buffer. As the buffer in memory fills up, it will save it to a GeoWrite page. As it fills up again, another page will be created. This allows you to use GeoWrite as your buffer editor. I figured, why reinvent the wheel when we already have an excellent editor? From The Wave's main menu, you can load GeoWrite directly. And when you exit GeoWrite, you will return directly to The Wave. You don't have to exit to the Desktop to do so. I will be releasing a public domain version of The Wave fairly soon. This will be a stripped down version of the real thing. It will be functional and not just a demo, although many features won't be available as in the final commercial version. For instance, uploading and downloading won't be in the PD version. But the chat mode and capture buffer will be working. So it will be great for conferences such as this one and for messages and EMail. Plus it will give you a chance to check it out before buying. The ASCII terminal operates on a GEOS graphic screen and is in full color. The ASCII terminal also supports VT-100 so that it can be used as such. There is also an ANSI mode, but this one will switch to an 80 column text screen to better deal with the ANSI graphics and colors. This will be a rare program because of it using a text screen in GEOS. This will also make the screen much faster. The chat mode supports up to 255 characters at one time. And while the chat mode is on, you have a 26 line screen in ASCII mode. With chat turned off, you have 28 lines on the screen. This is enough to handle just about any online service nicely. One of the neat features of this terminal program also is the way it allows you to send a text scrap to the modem. You can fetch a scrap from an album and paste it to the modem. You can also send individual GeoWrite pages. This allows you to edit EMail and messages offline and send the easily. You can also take the mouse and highlight a portion of the screen and copy it to a text scrap. Sort of the same way GeoWrite allows you to do. I have geared this terminal to GEOS users. There will be more features to come. The way I have written the routines keeps you from missing any characters. while the screen is scrolling messages. I have not lost a character yet. Another neat feature is that you can hold the CONTROL key to pause. When you release the key, the scrolling will continue. OK, we can open up the floor for questions now. Power user has a question Thanks Maurice, do you have a ball-park figure as far as price for this? I have not set a price yet, but most likely it will be around 40 dollars. geoHarold has a question. Maurice, will the WAVE work with gateWay? I haven't tested it with gateWay yet, but it should work just fine. I have run it on a native partition, and it works fine there. How about using it with RAMLink? I am running it from a RamLink right now. The SwiftLink is in the front port. Jeff has a question. What are some of the features of U/Ling and D/Ling? Protocols and such. Anything special. ? Good question Jeff. All the popular protocols are supported, X, Y and Z. Plus it will automatically convert a GEOS file while up or downloading. The user doesn't even have to realize it is happening. You can turn this feature off if you don't want to convert on the fly. Great feature, Maurice! Power User has a question. Will "The Wave" have the ability to utilize the DACC partition on a Ramlink? There might end up being some special uses for a DACC partition, but not in the 'normal' terminal modes. There will be a fax module that will likely require some extra ram and it might make use of a DACC partition. Maurice, when I had talked to you last, you were talking about some of the World Wide Web capabilities, as far as graphics is concerned. Could you tell us about them? I will tell you a little, but I don't want to get into this too much, just in case it isn't too feasible with this application. It might end up having to be a totally separate application. But maybe not. One of the terminal modes in The Wave is called 'The Wild Surf'. Oh yeah... each of these different terminal modes have their own names. The ASCII terminal is called 'The Beachcomber'. The ANSI terminal is called 'The Sightseer'. And the Web Browser is called 'The Wild Surf'. The Wild Surf will be able to navigate the World Wide Web, complete with all the graphics and stuff that only the Macs and IBMs can enjoy. We will be just as fast as them, just not the same screen resolution. This mode will require a lot of disk space and a mandatory ramdisk. But it will give us GEOS users something to look forward to. With the accelerator boards from CMD we could be faster that the IBMs. I think so. Jeff has a questions Will the web browser support sound? I don't know if I will be able to handle the sound yet. I haven't checked into that aspect. Right now I will say no. geoHarold has a question. Are you planning a 64 version? Once the 128 version is going, I will do up a 64 version, But with the new accelerator coming, I plan to wait until that is released. I will do a version for a standard 64 and one for the souped-up 64. Most likely, any new software that I do for a 64 will have two versions from now on. The hot one will be written to take advantage of the accelerator's features. Jeff has another question. Are there any features that will help navigate certain online services? Like for, say, GEnie RTC's and BB's. Also, is there script support in The Wave? That is in the works. Remember I can add any module to this thing. All I need is the necessary info from the online services And I can implement what is needed into a module for that service. Then we can point and click our way around GEnie, or CIS, or Delphi and even AOL, But I don't expect AOL to do anything. The commercial version will have a programmable feature. So, you will be able to make it do just about whatever you want. I will probably copy some routines from geoSHELL into it for script work. Bill has a question. When can I get one and who do I get it from? The PD version will be online here within the next month. As for the commercial version, remember geoFAX? No? I don't give dates anymore. :) I goofed when I announced the release date for geoFAX. I really blew it. I don't want to do that again. ok. And the modules, how will we find out about those? the new ones You will hear news online here, in newsletters, Commodore World, etc. Also, Anybody on my mailing list and registered users will get info in the mail. Snogpitch has a question Is the online version PD or shareware? The online version is free. Just download it and enjoy... Outstanding!!! How can we register it? The most you will have to do is send me your name and address, so that I can inform you when the real thing is ready to release. All the registration info will be included in the docs. Post Card ware? Yes, you might say. It is also publicity ware! Jeff has a question So it definately requires a SwiftLink at this point? Yes, it will not work with a user-port RS-232. SwiftLink is required. Ok...what about the 64 version? The user port RS-232 adapters just aren't fast enough. Same deal with the 64 version. SwiftLink or compatible 6551 setup. However, I have created what I call a modem interface driver. So far, the only driver is a SwiftLink driver. If I get a Hart Cartridge, I will write a driver for that too. And if I think I can do a fast enough user port driver, I will work on it. The problem is that there is just too much going on at the same time, to handle the user port RS-232 requires too much processor time but we have an accelerator coming, remember? Thank you for coming in tonight! It has been great as usual. Thank you all for coming too. I have enjoyed this as usual.